43 Comments

1. 

   @TheManOWrath

   May 24, 2024 at 2:17 am

   Context INCOMING!

   Reply
2. 

   @uncletiggermclaren7592

   May 24, 2024 at 4:30 am

   We ate an apple and rhubarb pie recently, that looked just like your helmet !.

   Reply
3. 

   @Christian-dd2qm

   May 24, 2024 at 9:53 am

   Breathability is a huge factor. What is face protection good for if you are being clubbed to death because you can't defend yourself due to complete exhaustion?

   Reply
4. 

   Anonymous

   May 24, 2024 at 10:44 am

   Thx for the perspective.

   Reply
5. 

   @billhsu6349

   May 24, 2024 at 1:15 pm

   I would prefer to have at least some level of eye protection, even without a mask

   Reply
6. 

   @tabull8180

   May 24, 2024 at 2:00 pm

   Video failed to say why exactly open face helmets are more convenient, other that eating and drinking. I would assume that one does not eat and drink during combat anyway.

   Reply
7. 

   @rursus8354

   May 24, 2024 at 4:39 pm

   One periscope per eye might have worked.

   Reply
8. 

   @DogWalkerBill

   May 24, 2024 at 5:46 pm

   If you were dressing and wore a sallet, would it be a sallet dressing? French? Italian? Or Ranch?

   Reply
9. 

   @matthewsteele8448

   May 24, 2024 at 8:01 pm

   Someday we'll have suits that feed designer oxygen full of chemicals into our troops.

   Or the AI robots will have long already taken control.

   Reply
10. 

    @Draconianoverlord55

    May 25, 2024 at 1:50 am

    What about a barbute?

    Reply
11. 

    @fastermaster5555

    May 25, 2024 at 2:50 am

    jfc man the audio for this is unbearable, you need to get some kind of wind muff for your mic…or just stop using the letter P…with how long you've been on youtube im surprised you havent done this

    Reply
12. 

    @GregoryKirk1

    May 25, 2024 at 4:47 am

    Tank commanders mostly operate hatch open and head outside the tank too. Visibility is critical to survival on the battlefield. you can't protect yourself from a threat you don't see coming.
    By the time we are dealing with full plate harnesses the tournament is no longer a wild roving battle, but jousting, combat at the barriers and other controlled fights. Visibility is a lot less important when you know where your opponent has to come from. Also no one is trying to kill you in the tournaments.
    On the battlefield, the enemy really is trying to kill you. If you don't see him coming, you're a lot more likely to end up flat down in the mud with some archer sticking his dagger through your less protected bits.

    Reply
13. 

    @davidhemsted5372

    May 25, 2024 at 1:45 pm

    Why did the fall of Constantinople and the fall of the English in France happen at the same time?

    Reply
14. 

    @Man_fay_the_Bru

    May 25, 2024 at 4:42 pm

    The stahl helm must’ve been based on that

    Reply
15. 

    @RdClZn

    May 25, 2024 at 7:49 pm

    Also one thing to consider: An open face helmet still protects the crucial part of your head that determines your survivability, the brain.
    Sure, getting a face injury is an awfully bad time, but the vast majority of them will be _survivable_, whereas a simple clubbing to the top of the skull is a seriously life threatening wound. Protection is also a compromise, and the open face helmet produces large increase in survivability without compromising combat effectiveness or daily activities much.

    Reply
16. 

    @GermanClaus

    May 25, 2024 at 8:17 pm

    You are right, they can get through. But basically only if you get lucky. Most likely, if you stab towards the face, you will miss the eye slids and it doesn't go through the tiny holes. Furthermore, you probably shouldn't underestimate the psychological impact. Imagine 200 horsemen ride towards you and you can't see their faces and they look very scary. It has an alien overlord type of style because without a face you don't look human anymore…

    Reply
17. 

    @frankharr9466

    May 26, 2024 at 2:39 am

    You have touched on this before, but I'm open to hearing about it again. Thank you.

    Reply
18. 

    @Hato1992

    May 26, 2024 at 8:31 am

    It's worth mention that in later period, people would just wear pot helmets with additions like lobster-tail to protect neck, cheek protection and nasal protection that was attached with screw. I talk mainy about hussars. They adjusted over years theirs equipment to enemy one. Since in eastern Europe people used slashing oriented sword than thrusting ones, they mainly protected theirs faces from slashes. Wit hthis in mind, you no need to have plate in front of your face to do so.

    Reply
19. 

    @Yora21

    May 26, 2024 at 10:39 am

    The title made me immediately think of ergonomics, and that helmet instantly shouts comfort to me.
    The brass studs are a bit fancy (though they don't get in the way of anything either), but other than that this looks like maximum optimization for helmet design.

    Reply
20. 

    @artor6388

    May 26, 2024 at 12:26 pm

    Then we have kievan rus 10century helmet with no nasal, i am using one of these in reenactment ( huscarl style/whole body fithing/ big neopren whatevere you call it )

    Reply
21. 

    @gershonpollatschek6048

    May 26, 2024 at 7:29 pm

    So this was the inspiration for the German helmet of WW1?

    Reply
22. 

    @Nineball2501

    May 26, 2024 at 8:07 pm

    No cap or padding under the helmet normally?

    Also kinda of wish there was somewhere to try these on without having to buy them to see exactly what the field of vison behind the visors would be like.

    Reply
23. 

    @thomasschaal8410

    May 27, 2024 at 1:21 am

    The french king Henri ll accidentaly died from his wound in 1559, from the splinters of his opponent's broken lance which went through his helmet's visor. He was jousting and wearing a face covering helmet. Thanks for that informative video 🙂

    Reply
24. 

    @MidlandsAirsoft

    May 27, 2024 at 1:21 pm

    THEY JUST LEFT THE CHIN STRAP FLAPPING LIKE THAT ? WHAT

    Reply
25. 

    @deltabravo2678

    May 28, 2024 at 6:35 am

    i expect that during periods of heavy exertion greater ventilation would be appreciated.
    Or, more air good!

    Reply
26. 

    @JpnhAbou

    May 28, 2024 at 10:45 pm

    To the point of medieval art having visors up, wouldnt that be kind of the same as Hollywood never covering their actors faces?

    Reply
27. 

    @Kensuke0987

    May 29, 2024 at 12:21 am

    I think if you are anticipating getting hit or missiles, you can just lean your head forward so that you face the top of your helm towards the attack. With this in consideration, those really tall pointy helmets like what the Cumans have seem to make a lot of sense.

    Reply
28. 

    @fytube7818

    May 29, 2024 at 4:10 am

    I would add that a shield theoretically is protecting your face under your eyes. so a visor and shield is redundant.

    Reply
29. 

    @Godram

    May 29, 2024 at 12:58 pm

    You mention people having multiple helmets during a campaign. Was it only nights that would have multiple? I can't imagine having to carry around 3 helmets for every fighter while marching across the countryside.

    Reply
30. 

    @retmarut4499

    May 30, 2024 at 10:22 pm

    9:54 "Kolbenturnierhelm" for anyone interested. To my perception "Spangenhelm" is the more common name of such a helmet. It could be that there's been a shift in naming tradition over the centuries, though.

    Reply
31. 

    @user-pf8hs7nv6z

    May 31, 2024 at 3:44 am

    Why Medieval Knights OFTEN Did Not Bother with FACE PROTECTION

    face wounds are rarely lethal or disabling, yet having face scars is a viable mean to show off to both aristocracy and commoners

    Reply
32. 

    @Waldemarvonanhalt

    June 1, 2024 at 11:50 am

    Apart from shelling out a lot of money IRL to experience what Matt talks about, playing Kingdom Come Deliverance does give a pretty good idea of how advantageous a better field of view is when fighting. Having your visor down is like trying to drive a tank with all hatches down.

    Reply
33. 

    @needparalegal

    June 1, 2024 at 7:17 pm

    I wonder if anyone ever developed a periscope helmet that gave complete coverage by using reflective lenses?

    Reply
34. 

    @pRahvi0

    June 3, 2024 at 10:35 am

    There's a reason why the crews of modern and particularly WW2 era tanks only closed the hatches under intense fire and would often stick their heads out otherwise. The reason is very much the same: visibility is so much better when there's nothing between you and the view, no matter how many periscopes or vision ports you might have.

    Reply
35. 

    @runswithbears3517

    June 4, 2024 at 2:16 pm

    Is there anything to be said about the lethality of facial injuries?

    Reply
36. 

    @mallowbunny1059

    June 4, 2024 at 10:59 pm

    That's why all helmets had face protection?
    That helmet isn't medieval. In the early modern age, face protection of course wasn't much of use anymore.

    Reply
37. 

    @stupidburp

    June 5, 2024 at 11:44 am

    Another interesting option was masks worn tight on the face. In some places these were incorporated into mail. In other places they were a separate piece, such as in Japan. These provide less protection than a good visor but can have excellent visibility if the eye holes are wide enough. Of course pointy things can go through those same holes or even pierce the thin material and the face. I tried wearing some samurai helmets with separate mask pieces and I was impressed by how little they interfered with doing tasks. The complete opposite of something like a barrel helm where I couldn't even see my own hands most of the time.

    Reply
38. 

    @lowe_sa2976

    June 6, 2024 at 7:57 pm

    I think knights could use chaimnal too as a face protection

    It's strong, it can't be penetrated and could be moved simply by hand to see whatz going on in front

    Reply
39. 

    @69JONESYrugbyCHAPELHILL

    June 7, 2024 at 12:59 am

    Battles were probably pretty rare…and Knights wanted to see what was going on.

    Reply
40. 

    @smilejos6715

    June 7, 2024 at 12:43 pm

    What is the purpose of the studs around the Salet?

    Reply
41. 

    @geodkyt

    June 7, 2024 at 5:02 pm

    The inportance of being able to see, breathe, and hear are often disregarded when folks look at antique and ancient helmets. I'm glad it wasn't overlooked here (well, hearing wasn't mentioned, but "situational awareness" was basically covered).

    Also, *weight*. Ounces on the neck "weigh more" than pounds on the back. The more steel.you have, the more the helmet weighs (this seems obvious, but people forget).

    If youve had to wear helmets for extended periods while "doing stuff" (hours of physical efforts like carrying a hunch of other heavy crap across terrain less flat and unobstructed than a soccer field), whioe doing things like look around to see what that idiot running up with a mesaage is shoutinf about, it weighs you down and fatigues you. There's a reason that, prior to the advent of modern "tactical bump lids", top tier counterterrorist units like the American "Delta Force" or the various Commonwealth SAS would often wear skateboard helmets, becausr the lighter weight dodnt dull the edges of their awareness as much (nor as quickly) as a proper ballistic helmet (no matter how well built). Having gone from an M1 steel pot, to the original Kevlar PASGT of the late 1980s, to the MICH and ACH, to now using modern "tactical bunp lids" like Ops Core for parachuting, the pros and cons of each are quite clear to me (M1 was heavy and uncomfortsble, but allowed good awareness; the K-pot was more confortable while standing but more constraining and hampered situational awareness, the later helmets like the ACH were better across the board, and the bumpnlids the most confortable and least restraining.

    Another point is that the more enclosed the steel helmet, the qorse it is in hot or cold weather. Even a plexi riot shield will accumulate an AMAZING amount of condensation on a cool day when you'rebreathing hard (fear, exertion, or both), and stifle in the summer. Now imagine steel… on the cold the condesation is dripping down the front of your armor, soaking your chest and causing irritating chafing and chilling you to the bone; and in the heat the helmet is turning into an EZ-Bake oven on your head, withbthe extra mass holding that heat and re-radiating it.

    And people can cry out, "But, discipline! " all they want. The fact is, misery saps strength, awareness, and morale. Good training, experience, and discipline can minimize the deleterious effects by allowing you to ignore it and "soak up more punishment" than the raw recruit, but the misery is still there, grinding the sharp edge off your performance nonetheless – the hardened "old sweat" is just starting from a higher threshold of tolerance.

    So, you risk balance, as Matt says. Amd sometimes the best option is the technically lower protection, bevause that fine edge of awareness and reaction might be the deciding factor – other times, the situation is such that more emphasis on hard protection is called for. The guys who choose wrong are more likely to be the subject of "Absent Companions" toasts, and the ones who choose correctly.are more likely to be sitting around raising those toasts.

    Reply
42. 

    @Spiror

    June 7, 2024 at 7:12 pm

    What about conquistadors spaniard helmets ??

    Reply
43. 

    @Aconitum_napellus

    June 8, 2024 at 12:52 am

    Matt isn't your face massive?

    Reply